I inspected a home that had a basement system company do a repair to a wall. I attached some photos. The company warranties the wall for foundation & moisture. They did replace the exterior drainage and appears they did exterior excavation on this wall.
I thought the stabil braces where inadequate & told the home owner to monitor condition & contact contractor if wall moves.
What do you think of the braces?
Also they used a thin sheet of material on the interior wall. Is this a newer type of epoxy system?
Dave,
The same company must have done this job. I too feel the braces are inadeqate. As you can see this one is bent or bending.
Also what type of strength could be gained by bracing it against the side of a floor joist?
They buyer said this had a lifetime warranty, I told her to get the paperwork call the company and make sure it is transferrable.
Structural repairs generally require an evaluation that will include recommendations / drawings to be followed when making the structural repair. Without documentation supporting the repair, the system would need further engineering evaluation at this time.
Telling the Client “…monitor condition & contact contractor if wall moves…” could present potential Liability. If the Wall moves again, it will be too late. The expectation of the Client will then be for you to pay the cost of repair.
Just to let you guys know, the basement waterproofing industry has a horrible reputation. The industry is run with commision salesman, that in many instances, will say or do anything to get the deal. The guarantees these companies provide are usually only for seepage. Go to my websight and read the important information page. This will help you advise your clients on how this industry works.
Nice site. You design a basement waterproofing system that resembles a B-dry system in my area. I recommend this sort of waterproofing system on many fieldstone foundations.
I would say they are doing absolutely nothing structurally. I would be contacting state agencies looking for other complaints regarding this system. I’m not sure what your state requires, but I would be asking for engineering to back up the fix provided (If they have paper work saying it works, I wouldn’t believe it).
